Oponents of the big Rancho San Juan subdivision said
Thursday they've collected enough signatures to put the
2,600-acre project before Monterey County voters.

Project foes began circulating petitions against the
4,000-home growth plan just north of Salinas after county
supervisors narrowly approved the project in mid-December.
They need 8,697 signatures of registered county voters to
force a referendum on the controversial development.

"We have a comfortable margin of safety," said Julie
Engell, chairwoman of the Rancho San Juan Opposition
Coalition.

Petition circulators say they already have gathered about
12,000 signatures and should reach the group's target of
13,000 by Wednesday, when they plan to turn in the petitions
to county election officials.

"It was a big job and we didn't go into it lightly. We
anticipated we would be able to do it," Engell said.

If election officials determine there are enough
signatures, the Board of Supervisors would set an election
date -- either a special election or the next general
election in 2006. The signature-validation process could
last up to two months.

Engell said the successful petition drive shows county
residents "want a different approach to growth... and we
want it to be sensible."

The Rancho San Juan area was designated as a growth area
by the county in the early 1980s and has generated heated
debate almost from the outset.

Opponents claim the huge project would create more
traffic congestion, tap overpumped North County water tables
and create homes unaffordable to most county residents. The
city of Salinas opposes the project, saying it would create
traffic problems and drain other city services.

Supporters contend Rancho San Juan would be a carefully
planned community balancing jobs and housing and would
provide a large number of affordable homes.

In a Dec. 14 decision on a 3-2 vote, the supervisors gave
the go-ahead to the first phase of Rancho San Juan -- the
1,147-home Butterfly Village golf-residential subdivision by
developer Moe Nobari -- but called for a review of the
overall Rancho San Juan plan.

Mark Blum, attorney for Butterfly Village, said he wasn't
surprised by the petition campaign's apparent success. He
contends Rancho San Juan was misrepresented by signature
gatherers.

"If you get enough paid signature gatherers you can get
10 percent of the voters... to support anything," Blum said.
"That's particularly true if you misrepresent the
facts."

The supervisors could set a special election or set a
Rancho San Juan vote for the next general election in 2006,
Blum said.

The county and Nobari could also challenge the validity
of the opponents' petition, he said.

"There are a number of legal considerations," he said.
"No decisions have been made."

Blum said he wouldn't comment on possible responses until
the signature-gathering period ends next week.

Engell said signature gatherers found opposition to
Rancho San Juan among residents throughout the county.

Larry Parsons can be reached at 646-4379 or
lparsons@montereyherald.com.